Here’s an environmentally stylish twist on the fast fashion approach to dressing: Take those old clothes and instead of tossing them in the garbage, try making them new again.

That’s what two groups — the Fashion History Museum in Cambridge, Ont., and The Guelph Tool Library — have in mind as they encourage people to reuse clothing that otherwise would end up in landfills.

And that approach, it appears, may go a long way in helping reduce the amount of garment materials that end up in landfills, which according to a new study is in the hundreds of millions of kilograms a year.

For its part, the Fashion History Museum is challenging people to repurpose clothing to create daring new outfits.

Anyone who sews can join the museum’s upcycling challenge, and the finished garments and accessories will be featured at an event this spring.

“Upcycling is something I think we’re going to see more of in fashion,” Jonathan Walford, director and curator of the Fashion History Museum, told CBC Kitchener-Waterloo’s The Morning Edition. 

“I think that’s the wave of the future.”

Turning ‘unloved fabrics’ into much-loved pieces

Upcycling involves taking old clothes and transforming them into something new. It’s one way to reuse textiles that may have otherwise ended up in the trash. 

Reusing fabric from old clothing is not new, Walford said. In the 18th century, the most expensive part of any outfit was the fabric. Women would keep the dresses in a trunk for their daughters and…